Integrated Physiology

Physiology is a scientific discipline devoted to understanding the functions of the body. It addresses function at multiple levels, including molecular, cellular, organ, and system. An appreciation of the processes that occur at each level is necessary to understand function in health and the dysfunction associated with disease. Homeostasis and integration are fundamental principles of physiology that account for the relative constancy of organ processes and bodily function even in the face of substantial environmental changes. This constancy results from integrative, cooperative interactions of chemical and electrical signaling processes within and between cells, organs and systems. This series on the broad field of physiology covers the major organ systems from an integrative perspective that addresses the molecular and cellular processes that contribute to homeostasis. Material on pathophysiology is also included throughout the books. These state-of-the-art treatises were produced by leading experts in the field of physiology. Each book includes stand-alone information and is intended to be of value to students, scientists, and clinicians in the biomedical sciences. Since physiological concepts are an ever-changing work-in-progress, each contributor will have the opportunity to make periodic updates of the covered material.

Respiratory MusclesGary C. Sieck, Heather M. GranseeBreathing is usually automatic and without conscious effort; yet our breathing is a complex motor function requiring the coordinated activation of a number of respiratory muscles that span from our heads to our abdomen. Some of our respiratory muscle...Publication Date: 05/01/2012

Local Control of Microvascular PerfusionMichael Hill, Michael DavisLocal control of microvascular perfusion refers to the ability of individual tissues to maintain a relative constancy of hemodynamics in the face of changing perfusion pressure while meeting metabolic demands appropriately. The regulation of local bl...Publication Date: 10/01/2012

Alveolar Structure and FunctionD. Keith Payne, Adam WellikoffIn the distal regions of the human lung, one of the most challenging problems facing a large multicellular organism is solved; ensuring an adequate supply of oxygen for aerobic tissue metabolism while removing associated waste products. Conduits for ...Publication Date: 11/01/2012

Airway EpitheliumJonathan WiddicombeThe airways are lined with a film of fluid ∼10 μm deep that acts as the first line of defense against inhaled pathogens, dirt, and noxious vapors. Transepithelial fluid movements driven by active transepithelial ion transport serve to regulate the...Publication Date: 11/01/2012

Neural Control of Gastrointestinal FunctionDavid Grundy, Simon BrookesThe gastrointestinal tract is a long, muscular tube responsible for the digestion of food, assimilation of nutrients and elimination of waste. This is achieved by secretion of digestive enzymes and absorption from the intestinal lumen, with different...Publication Date: 01/01/2012

Intestinal Water and Electrolyte TransportMrinalini Rao, Jayashree Sarathy (nee Venkatasubramanian), Mei AoThe unique architecture and physiology of the mammalian intestine, together with a tightly coordinated regulatory system, allows for the handling and absorption of as much as 9 L of fluid a day with 98% or greater efficiency. Advances in the past 40 ...Publication Date: 01/01/2012

The Ocular CirculationJeffrey KielThis presentation describes the unique anatomy and physiology of the vascular beds that serve the eye. The needs for an unobstructed light path from the cornea to the retina and a relatively fixed corneal curvature and distance between refractive str...Publication Date: 01/01/2011

The Exocrine PancreasStephen PandolThe secretions of the exocrine pancreas provide for digestion of a meal into components that are then available for processing and absorption by the intestinal epithelium. Without the exocrine pancreas, malabsorption and malnutrition result. This cha...Publication Date: 01/01/2011

The Enteric MicrobiotaFrancisco GuarnerThe human gut is the natural habitat for a diverse and dynamic microbial ecosystem having an important impact on health and disease. Bacteria have lived in and on animal hosts since multicellular life evolved about 1 billion years ago. Hosts provide ...Publication Date: 01/01/2011

The Endothelium, Part IIMichel FeletouThe endothelium controls vascular tone by releasing various vasoactive substances. Additionally, another pathway associated with the hyperpolarization of both endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells contributes also to endothelium-dependent rela...Publication Date: 01/01/2011

The Endothelium, Part IMichel FeletouThe endothelium, a monolayer of endothelial cells, constitutes the inner cellular lining of the blood vessels (arteries, veins and capillaries) and the lymphatic system, and therefore is in direct contact with the blood/lymph and the circulating cell...Publication Date: 01/01/2011

Skeletal Muscle CirculationRonald KorthuisThe aim of this treatise is to summarize the current understanding of the mechanisms for blood flow control to skeletal muscle under resting conditions, how perfusion is elevated (exercise hyperemia) to meet the increased demand for oxygen and other ...Publication Date: 01/01/2011

Regulation of Endothelial Barrier FunctionSarah Yuan, Robert RigorThe vascular endothelium lining the inner surface of blood vessels serves as the first interface for circulating blood components to interact with cells of the vascular wall and surrounding extravascular tissues. In addition to regulating blood deliv...Publication Date: 01/01/2011

Regulation of Cardiac ContractilityR. John SolaroContractility describes the relative ability of the heart to eject a stroke volume (SV) at a given prevailing afterload (arterial pressure) and preload (end-diastolic volume; EDV). Various measures of contractility are related to the fraction as the ...Publication Date: 01/01/2011

Motor Function of the Pharynx, Esophagus, and its SphinctersRavinder MittalDeglutition or a swallow begins as a voluntary act in the oral cavity but proceeds autonomously in the pharynx and esophagus. Bilateral sequenced activation and inhibition of more than 25 pairs of muscles of mouth, pharynx, larynx, and esophagus is r...Publication Date: 01/01/2011

Intestinal Immune SystemSoichiro Miura, Ryota Hokari, Shunsuke KomotoIn the intestine, a unique immunological system that is different from the systemic immune system exists to provide adaptive immunity in response to luminal bacteria and dietary antigens. There are many lymphoid cell aggregates called gut-associated ...Publication Date: 01/01/2011

Hemorheology and HemodynamicsGiles CokeletFrom the perspective of blood flow, blood has some unusual properties: it is a suspension of blood cells of which the red blood cells are most numerous and are both deformable (at moderate and high flow rates) and will aggregate under conditions of s...Publication Date: 01/01/2011